Originally Posted on: Big Sky Journal
Named one of the West’s best fall festivals by Travel + Leisure, the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival is known for its popular artistic offerings centered in the scenic mountain resort community of Jackson, Wyoming. From gallery walks and a Town Square QuickDraw to art auctions and luxury home tours, the annual 11-day event from September 5-16, 2018, provides an amazing variety of ways to celebrate the visual arts. But the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival isn’t just for fine art aficionados. Appetizing activities in the culinary arts with events such as Palates & Palettes Gallery Walk, the Taste of the Tetons, the Western Design Exhibit + Sale, as well as wine tastings of Jackson’s own locally bottled signature wines are also highlights of the Festival.
For its signature wine offerings, the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival partnered again with local Jackson Hole Winery. The winery selected grapes grown in Sonoma County, California, to create a unique white and red for this year’s event: a 2017 Chardonnay and 2017 Syrah. The grapes used in these wines were crushed, produced, aged and bottled in Jackson Hole. The bottles’ custom labels display 2018 Fall Arts Festival featured artist Dennis Ziemienski’s painting “Teton Reflections,” which is also the Festival’s 2018 poster image. The signature wines will be available for purchase at The Liquor Store of Jackson Hole and the Jackson Hole Winery.
As a marquee kickoff event, the Western Design Exhibit + Sale’s Opening Preview Party and live fashion show on the evening of Thursday, Sept. 6, will feature five open bars and food from Genevieve Catering. New this year, the Artitude Adjustment happy hour will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 7, and Sunday, Sept. 9, and at 4pm on Saturday, Sept. 8, serving local spirits from Grand Teton Distillery and Wyoming Whiskey. Come taste and explore the Western Design Exhibit + Sale’s phenomenal Western-inspired contemporary craft offerings.
The Palates & Palettes Gallery Walk, Friday, Sept. 7, is yet another opportunity to sample the local flavors. More than 30 Jackson galleries stay open late serving wine and appetizers, with some featuring live music. Locals and visitors alike enjoy this mountain town gallery crawl, walking downtown’s historic wooden sidewalks, taking in incredible art and mingling with friends and artists, all the while sipping and snacking.
Sunday, Sept. 9 will see the famous Taste of the Tetons, an open-air tasting fair in the heart of downtown Jackson Hole serving up hearty portions from the best of local chefs. A variety of vendors share culinary creations – often with a local spin – from tortilla soup to gourmet baguette sandwiches, elk sliders and ahi tuna tacos to homemade ice cream sandwiches. Also on Sunday, festival guests can enjoy the Rotary Supper Club’s Sips on the Square wine tasting event, silent auction and live musical entertainment.
The Jackson Hole Arts Festival will take place September 5-16,2018. For more information and to see a full schedule of events, click here.
HOW TO GET THERE
The Jackson Hole Airport in Jackson, Wyoming, is served by major airlines including Delta, United, American, and SkyWest. Reservation information for Jackson’s numerous hotels, as well as a complete schedule of Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival events taking place Sept. 5 -16, 2018, can be found here. For additional information, contact Maureen Murphy at Jackson Hole Chamber, 307.733.3316.
